


Darkness and Light

by critterdee_67



Series: Practice BINGO short stories [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 15:52:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17645789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/critterdee_67/pseuds/critterdee_67
Summary: Dean has always been brave for Sam - even though he knows what's really out there in the dark.O4: Scared of the Dark





	Darkness and Light

Dean was always brave for little Sammy. Being in a different motel room every night or every few weeks is nerve racking and Sam is just a little guy. Dean’s eight-years-old and Dad said he’s old enough to be the man of the house when Dad had to be out late or overnight. 

Being man of the house, or motel room in most cases, is a big responsibility. Dean has to make sure that the doors and windows are locked and that the salt line remains unbroken; entertain and feed Sammy; get them both bathed and ready for bed without a grown up to read a bedtime story or tuck them in. So, Dean reads magazines or the Bible — which is in every motel room everywhere — or if he’s lucky enough he gets a new comic book. 

Sam’s a good kid, he likes when Dean reads to him, or when they watch cartoons on Saturday mornings. He doesn’t cry too much, and Dad always checks for monsters under the beds and in the closet first thing when they get a new room. 

Dean never lets Sammy touch the salt lines, and he keeps his buck knife well out of the little guy’s reach. He also told little Sammy that if he misbehaved while Dad was away, Dean would twist his arm and make him sit in the corner. The threat worked and Dean usually doesn’t have any trouble out of the little tike. Dean keeps his buck knife and the .410 shotgun handy but it's out of Sammy’s view, just in case he needs to protect them while Dad’s away. Dad always said “Shoot first, ask later.” 

He also keeps the bathroom light on and the door cracked just a little, so that there is some light in the room at night, so Sammy won’t be scared, of course. 

Time flies when you’re young, and pretty soon, little Sammy is as tall as Dean and doesn’t need nearly as much protection.  They’re both proficient marksmen and have been hunting with Dad for a couple of years now, just enough to learn some basics. But Dean still leaves the light on,  _ just in case _ . 

By the time Sammy goes off to college, he’s a good four inches taller than Dean — so not fair. 

Dean stayed with Dad to continue hunting. Until that one time when Dean was on his own hunt in Louisiana, Dad went missing. Dean tracked Dad’s lead for a couple of months before he decided he needed some help from his brother.  As much as he hated to bother Sammy at school, he needed him. Dad’s been missing for a few weeks, and he hasn’t heard from him. 

Sammy was hesitant and figures Dad is just off doing his own thing, and thinks Dean is exaggerating — after all, Dad was the best at what they do.  Sam had important school responsibilities and deadlines. He tries to convince Dean to let Dad come back on his own, but he finally agrees to go with Dean to look for Dad, as long as they get back for his upcoming deadline.  They hit the road to look for Dad. 

One thing leads to another and Sam never makes it back for that deadline — they finally find Dad but by then the hunting world has once again claimed Sam. Many cases and a few years later, the brothers are still on the road chasing the things that go bump in the night. Staying in cheap motels just like when they were kids. 

A few minutes later, long enough for Dean to assume that Sammy was asleep, he got up and turned the light back on, leaving the door cracked just enough to let a small amount of light into the room. Sam noticed, but doesn’t say anything. 

Their lives take many twists and turns, they hunt and are hunted by the evil that most people never see. Until the day Dean is captured and taken to Hell. 

Sam tried everything to get his brother back, but it takes an Angel of the Lord to battle the demons and rescue Dean from the depths of the pit. 

After Dean was returned from Hell, the Angel reveals himself and is helpful to the brothers on many hunts. 

It doesn’t take long for Castiel to become part of the family. Spending time with the brothers allows for the angel to learn how to be human, how to be a friend, how to love and be loved. Castiel tries to love the brothers equally, but he had a special, closer bond with Dean - he did piece him together after saving him from Hell. There was a deeper love he feels toward Dean. 

After several years of Castiel being with the boys, Dean stops fighting the strong feelings he had toward Castiel. One day, after an especially difficult battle, one that no one thought they would survive, Dean hugged Castiel - which in itself was not odd - and Castiel returned the hug - again not that unusual. But, this particular hug was different, it wasn’t a ‘bro hug’ or a ‘man I missed you’ or ‘can’t believe we survived’ hug. Dean didn’t clap Cas on the back and quickly let go. No, this hug is full of feelings, full of love and need and want. Dean’s hands trail up Castiel’s back and gently cradled his face, he looked deep in the Angel’s eyes, conveying more emotion than words couldn’t divulge, openly allowing the Angel to read his mind. 

Castiel received the messages of devotion, admiration, friendship, brotherhood, need, and then a deeper feeling of love and a different type of need - intense and sexual need. 

Dean leaned closer, eyes dropping to Castiel’s lips before they close. Dean kissed Castiel in a way that belied their brotherly bond. Castiel accepted and returned the kiss as well as the emotions that Dean is emanating. 

That night, and the rest of the trip home, Dean got separate motel rooms for himself and Sam; stating that he needed space. He doesn’t mention that the space he needs is to spend time with Castiel so that together they can explore and figure out these new feelings. Well, not new, the feelings have always been just below the surface, but now they are out in the open - sort of, and the two men need time to learn how to handle the situation. Truthfully then want time to learn and study each other for the next few nights - emotionally, physically, and biblically. 

By the time they made it to the bunker, Dean was ready to tell Sam the truth about he and Castiel. How they were in love and had moved their relationship to a new level. 

Sam’s reaction was not one of shock or disgust or rejection, as Dean feared. Rather one of relief. Relief that they were no longer fighting the obvious attraction and that he no longer had to watch them pine over each other, both afraid to make the first move. Sam hugged Castiel and officially welcomed him to the family. 

Several weeks later, Sam was walking from the kitchen to his room and noticed that there was no light coming from Dean room. Dean always slept with some sort of light on in his room, all his life. His excuses had ranged from not wanting to trip over Sam’s crap to being able to see if they had to get up in the  middle of the night to fight something. 

The next morning Sam just had to ask Dean about the change in his ‘night light’ routine. 

Dean’s response was that all his life he had been afraid of the dark, afraid of what was in the dark, all those things that they fight and that hunt them. But now that he has the love and light that is Castiel in his life, there is nothing about the dark that frightens him. 

**Author's Note:**

> these shorts are not beta'd


End file.
